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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be sacked due to sick children?

583 replies

Spamup · 28/01/2019 18:56

Regular user but have NC for this!

My children, DS and DD both under 3 have several bouts of sickness before christmas and today my DS is not well which has resulted in a hospital admission - my employet has casually mentioned before about how i would probably be better off not working but nothing has been written down regarding this - ff to this evening, it has been sent to the HR department for formal disciplinary process to start and i am in bits - i am a lone parent and no family or friends to support me with emergancy childcare as they all work full time - can i really lose my job over this? I have bills etc to pay and worked a long time in this field to get to where i am now :(

OP posts:
Touchmybum · 28/01/2019 21:16

Would a career break give you some breathing space, if it's possible?

TacoLover · 28/01/2019 21:16

I'm so sorry OP and I hope you get some useful advice instead of arseholes lecturing you on how hard it is for the company. Yes, it's hard for the company. But the OP is asking for advice for her, not the bloody company. FFS.

I don't think anyone is lecturing her on how hard it is for the company. I think most people are saying that the company isn't unreasonable to fire her considering how much she has been off.

Ddssdd · 28/01/2019 21:17

I feel for you, I really do. But please stop making anymore excuses.

Through no fault of your own, you have had excessive amounts of time off work, we get that.

But how are you going to change the situation. Because it cannot carry on?

Bluntness100 · 28/01/2019 21:18

Do people really not know that NO childcare will put up with sick children

Ffs, some of the things people are posting on here, of course nannies look after sick kids.

Rockybooboo · 28/01/2019 21:18

OP I've no advice but just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear what you've been through. This is why we need the welfare state. You've been through mental health issuses, domestic abuse and a premium baby. It's great that you want to work but with no family back up, it sounds impossible

Bluntness100 · 28/01/2019 21:21

Would a career break give you some breathing space, if it's possible?

I suspect as she's had a year off due to personal circumstances then repeated absences, then this request is likely to lead to termination as it simply says she can't do the job, so I would be reticent to ask if I was the op.

DanielRicciardosSmile · 28/01/2019 21:24

Clearly I don't know what your salary is, but if you're only working 2 days per week, and paying out £1300 a month in childcare, would you be much worse off if you stopped working altogether and took the children out of nursery?

TwinMummy1510 · 28/01/2019 21:25

OP, I really feel for you - you've taken the shitload of criticism you've received on the chin and pulled out all the positive advice to help you move forward.

Of course it's shit for the company. And of course it's not surprising that they want to address the situation. Totally understandable. No-one disputes that, including OP....

But let's just take a moment - this woman is looking after two very young children singlehandedly. Ex refuses to pay his share and has deliberately shirked his financial responsibilities as well as his practical ones. There have been multiple hospital admissions, not just sniffles and she hasn't been paid for the absence. She offered different working hours but this was declined (which is fair enough but she has tried to think of solutions...). She has just been through what sounds like a horrific set of personal circumstances and was a victim of DV. As a result of this DV and PND she had a year off work during which time Occ Health agreed she was unfit for work. After she split from her ex following the DV she lost her house, her car and her phone.

Fucking hell OP, you deserve a medal for still trying to keep going. No, it's not ideal for your employer and absolutely you need to try and explore some of the alternative suggestions. None of them will be an easy fix but with a bit of luck you might find something that works to keep you in employment and make you more reliable.

By the way, I didn't read your comment about making it in for half day as you being flippant - I thought you sounded like a woman who was desperately trying to fulfil her commitments and not knowing which way to turn.

I was a manager at a FTSE 100 company and also went through TUPE and I think there's reason for hope still. Make sure you have plans to cover any possible objections they might have, hopefully this is just the next stage of the process. It's true the TUPE process is ruthless and they'll try to get anyone out possible to reduce headcount - in my experience anyway.

Random thought - do you have any skills which would allow you to be self employed? If so, I wonder if you could start your own business? You could start working on it weekends and evenings to get it up and running and if it takes off, you could quit your day job. I have two young SEN children and I need flexibility. I couldn't commit to a FT day job any longer so I made the jump. Best thing I ever did.

Whatever you decide, I hope life starts throwing some better luck your way - no-one is blaming the employer at all but between the DV, losing your home, PND and very poorly children it really does sound like you've had a tough time.

PatchworkDoll · 28/01/2019 21:28

A childminder would be better than an au pair. Found this www.childcare.co.uk/find/Childminders
Could you work from home?

Rockybooboo · 28/01/2019 21:29

Well said Twinmummy. The poor OP is coping with so much. Yes it's not the employers fault but people could have been kinder in their responses.

Bluntness100 · 28/01/2019 21:30

OP, I really feel for you - you've taken the shitload of criticism you've received on the chin and pulled out all the positive advice to help you move forward

Hang on, no one has criticised her, people are simply saying her employer now has a point, which she herself agrees with, and to now get there by hook or by crook and to find more stable child care.

Every one empathises, of course they do, but wanting to be her BFF and fan girling her isn't going to help help her keep her job,

Touchmybum · 28/01/2019 21:32

I work in HR and this was a solution for a mum in very similar circumstances. The inhumanity of some posts is staggering.

Touchmybum · 28/01/2019 21:35

Career break, I mean.

Skating on thin ice here on the equality stakes... seeing as some of the historic absences were maternity related!

Nicknacky · 28/01/2019 21:36

touchy Sorry, what post are you referring to?

C8H10N4O2 · 28/01/2019 21:36

They are running a business not a charity, it is not their problem your kids are sick!

In which case they should know that supporting people through difficult periods in their lives and facilitating some flexibility can result in long term loyalty (both from the person in question and the other staff witnessing that support) and a cost saving. If the organisation is still paper based to the extent it blocks any flexible working then it sounds like its running some antiquated processes (I'm wondering now if its the health services!).

OP is in an organisation with an HR department and operating under TUPE rules so not a small business where one person missing can be a crisis.

Schuyler · 28/01/2019 21:39

I see the view of your employer but I still have a lot of sympathy for you. You’ve clearly been through an exceptionally difficult time and being a single parent is so hard.

I do wonder if you are in the right role given everything as your employer isn’t able to be flexible in terms of changing hours and working from home.

Stuckforthefourthtime · 28/01/2019 21:42

Good luck op. Also like others say, lots of bollocks being talked about nannies. .

  • They are absolutely not £15/hour plus tax and plus more for extra kids. £15 per hour would often include tax and two kids, even in London
  • They absolutely will look after sick kids, just not ones who have d&v or anything more serious and contagious which the nanny may not have had (so usually chickenpox is fine)
  • You absolutely do need to pay their tax etc and budget for it, as you are an employer. There are guides online or companies that do it for you
Bluntness100 · 28/01/2019 21:45

Op, you've sadly developed some posters who just want to start a bun fight and attack other posters, and are not focused on helping you,

If you want to keep your job, and you do, demonstrate to them you understand you've been through some tough personal circumstances that Have forced you to take prolonged and repeated absences and that you understand the impact this has on the business but you are now putting steps in place to ensure you are available for work reliably going forward, a day nanny is the best option available to you and you can explain a day nanny will be able to care for your children where a nursery would not.💐

Touchmybum · 28/01/2019 21:45

I'm saying I dealt with a disciplinary recently, inability to sustain reliable attendance, sick kids. She got a warning but is taking a career break, with warning to kick in thereafter. Gives both parties a breathing space, she can sort her kids, we can bring in reliable cover.

Spamup · 28/01/2019 21:46

I really do appreciate everyone taking the time to comment so thankyou, i do really appreciate it.

Yes i know i have had a shit load of time off which doesnt look good and is equally as shit for my employer.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and i remember a conversation with hr last year where they basically said i either return to work or lose my job - perhaps i should have got out then whilst the going was still good but hey ho you live and learn.

I am still looking into possibilityof a nanny but realistically i may be updating my CV so i can look for a job that i can either do shorter days with or be unemployed for a while may need to be short term pain for long term gain.

I am going into work tommorow morning so i can get my ducks in a row, get details of the relevent policies etc then will contact my EAP and ACAS and go from there - irrespective of the outcome at least i may have the opportunity to walk before i am pushed which in a roundabout way will make giving up my career much easier and hopefully i may be able to get back into it at a later date.

OP posts:
Spamup · 28/01/2019 21:48

I will keep that in mind as an option.

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 28/01/2019 21:49

Op, I think you can't claim benefits for a period of time if you quit,do you understand this element?

You sound like you're giving up, are you sure this is what you want? Because you have a case here and can fix this,

Spamup · 28/01/2019 21:52

Also to the poster who commented about the need for a welfare state - when i was at my lowest and was called in for an esa assessment because i said i could drop.my child to nursery and open the door if i new a delivery was coming i got less points and my benefit was stopped and changed to income support despite my GP still issuing med certs, but again, thats a whole other thread lol

OP posts:
Ivgotasecretcanyoukeepit · 28/01/2019 21:56

Your level of parental leave is excessive. Also just because you have taken the leave as unpaid that doesn’t make it ok. The parental leave policy is there to help you make suitable arrangements and should not be used as a long term solution as it is here.

My advice would be to attend work tomorrow for your full shift and fully explain your situation however I would expect no more than three instances per rolling 12 months of parental leave from my team. I would expect a clear contingency moving forward otherwise I wouldn’t authorise the absence and that alone would fall under a different policy.

I feel it is time for you to move on from your current role as this role clearly doesn’t fit in with your commitments as a single parent.

Rockybooboo · 28/01/2019 22:02

That's so hard OP. I really hope you can sort it.

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